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Record of Proceedings

Joint Committee Meeting on Litigation, Budget, Infrastructure, and Public Safety - June 29, 2026

Board of Legislators & Committees — Monday, June 29, 2026
BodyWestchester County, New York
SessionBoard of Legislators & Committees
DateMonday, June 29, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

This meeting is being recorded and summarized.

0:12

Oh, I thought that's what you're referring to.

0:15

All right, good morning, everyone.

0:19

Good morning, everybody.

0:20

Thank you all very much for your patience.

0:24

Sorry about that.

0:25

We are officially beginning our meeting.

0:29

The budget appropriations meeting committee meeting on June 29th.

0:33

It is now 1017 a.m.

0:35

I'll start us out with a roll call vote.

0:38

I am present.

0:39

Majority leader hosting.

0:41

Let's present.

0:44

Legislator Pierce.

0:45

Present.

0:45

Committee Vice Chair Tubiolo.

0:47

Majority Wood Williams.

0:49

Legislator Williams Johnson.

0:50

Present.

0:51

Chairman Dodge.

0:52

All right.

0:53

We have a quorum again.

0:54

It's 1017 a.m.

0:56

Let's chairman.

0:57

I'm David Omar.

0:58

I'm chair of the litigation committee.

0:59

I'm calling this to order.

1:01

I am here.

1:01

Vice Chair Smith.

1:02

Here.

1:03

Legislator Barr, Legislative Williams Johnson.

1:05

Let's say an MVR.

1:07

Here we got it.

1:10

Thank you, sir.

1:11

All right.

1:12

Those are the two relevant committees for our first item.

1:14

We have our great county attorney, Mr.

1:17

John Nona here to present along with Mr.

1:20

Aiden.

1:24

Great Mr.

1:24

A.

1:25

Great.

1:26

The great John.

1:27

And we have an assistant chief deputy county attorney Justin Aiden.

1:30

Excellent as well here.

1:32

Just and you just bridge it.

1:35

Good morning, gentlemen.

1:36

Thank you for joining us.

1:42

So this item is to allow us to retain Stephen Leventhal as special counsel for the Board of Ethics.

1:56

Independent consultant for the Board of Ethics since oh probably around 2010.

2:02

When I was a legislative, right?

2:04

We retained him initially.

2:05

Once we created the original requirement for an independent consultant, he's basically served in that role.

2:10

He's currently serving as independent consultant.

2:13

The board has in the past authorized us to have him a special council so we can help with all the legal advice and other issues that come up.

2:21

So this would be a three-year contract commencing August 1st.

2:32

Three years, $9,000.

2:34

I don't think we've ever come close to it.

2:40

All right, thank you.

2:40

Let's later move.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████28%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Public Safety███████████████████19%
Parks and Recreation██████████10%
Public Sector Employee Benefits█████5%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Budget Equity Analysis███3%
Disability Rights███3%
Affordable Housing███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Joint Committee Meeting on Litigation, Budget, Infrastructure, and Public Safety - June 29, 2026

The meeting was convened at 10:18 AM and adjourned at 11:15 AM. Multiple committees met jointly to discuss a variety of items including ethics counsel retention, public safety facility renovation, county code enforcement authority, radio system replacement, and a gift acceptance. All votes were unanimous unless noted.

Discussion Items

  • Retention of Stephen Leventhal as Special Counsel for Board of Ethics (ACT-2026-139): County Attorney John Nonna and Assistant Chief Deputy County Attorney Justin Adin presented a three-year contract for $9,000 to retain Stephen Leventhal as independent consultant and special counsel for the Board of Ethics. Chair Imamura praised Leventhal as a leading municipal ethics attorney. The item was approved unanimously.
  • Bond Act for Renovation of Public Safety Facility in Hawthorne: Captain Frank Donovan of the Department of Public Safety described building deficiencies including leaking roofs, lack of ADA compliance, inadequate HVAC and plumbing, and small prisoner holding cells. The study will explore renovation vs. new construction and provide three cost options over six months. The bond act was approved unanimously.
  • Local Law for County Code Enforcement on County Properties (Items 275 and 276): Commissioner Hugo and Deputy Commissioner Whitehead presented an amendment to formalize code enforcement authority for county-owned buildings, including fee collection. Legislators discussed jurisdiction, fee structure, and potential liability (e.g., Grasslands Hospital). The item was held for further review to align fee authority with legislative approval and to address liability concerns.
  • Radio System Replacement for Public Safety (BIT 32): Presenters including Rachel and Peter Tartaglia (Parks) detailed an amendment to bond act 262-2025 to construct a new radio tower at Montreal Station Road in Blue Mountain Reservation. The site is needed to complete Stage 2 coverage for first responders. Tree removal (2:1 replacement ratio) and park purpose were discussed. Legislators raised questions about adding public cellular service, but noted state restrictions. The item was approved unanimously.
  • Gift Acceptance from Friends of Muscoot Farm: Commissioner announced a donation of two accessible hayride wagons and three new steps for hay wagons, enhancing accessibility. A legislator shared a story of a wheelchair-bound child who could now enjoy a hayride. The gift was accepted unanimously.
  • Introduced Legislation (Items 204, 206, 207): Legislator introduced three items: property record notification/deed theft prevention, accessory dwelling unit property tax abatement, and a small business/MWBE microgrant pilot program. These were not voted on as receive and file; they were held for future committee work.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approvals: Retention of Stephen Leventhal, bond act for Hawthorne facility, radio system replacement bond amendment, gift acceptance, and minutes approval.
  • Held for further review: County code enforcement local law (Items 275/276) pending resolution of fee structure and liability questions.
  • Introduced legislation deferred: Three items introduced but not advanced; placed on hold for future discussion.
  • Adjournment: All committees adjourned at 11:15 AM.

Meeting Transcript

This meeting is being recorded and summarized. Oh, I thought that's what you're referring to. All right, good morning, everyone. Good morning, everybody. Thank you all very much for your patience. Sorry about that. We are officially beginning our meeting. The budget appropriations meeting committee meeting on June 29th. It is now 1017 a.m. I'll start us out with a roll call vote. I am present. Majority leader hosting. Let's present. Legislator Pierce. Present. Committee Vice Chair Tubiolo. Majority Wood Williams. Legislator Williams Johnson. Present. Chairman Dodge. All right. We have a quorum again. It's 1017 a.m. Let's chairman. I'm David Omar. I'm chair of the litigation committee. I'm calling this to order. I am here. Vice Chair Smith. Here. Legislator Barr, Legislative Williams Johnson. Let's say an MVR. Here we got it. Thank you, sir. All right. Those are the two relevant committees for our first item. We have our great county attorney, Mr. John Nona here to present along with Mr. Aiden. Great Mr. A. Great. The great John. And we have an assistant chief deputy county attorney Justin Aiden. Excellent as well here. Just and you just bridge it. Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you for joining us. So this item is to allow us to retain Stephen Leventhal as special counsel for the Board of Ethics. Independent consultant for the Board of Ethics since oh probably around 2010.

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